Preparation of N, N-dichloropolystyrene sulfonamide nanofiber as a regenerable self-decontaminating material for protection against chemical warfare agents

N,N-dichloropolystyrene sulfonamide as a decontaminant was synthesized in 5 steps from styrene monomer. Styrene was first polymerized. Then, sulfonation reaction was performed by H2SO4 (c) followed by chlorination with POCl3 obtain chlorosulfonated polystyrene. Amidification reaction was then applied to get sulfonamide resin. Sulfonamide resin was treated with sodium hypochloride to obtain N,N-dichloropolystyrene product. The products of each step were characterized by FT-IR technique. The active chlorine content of final product was measured by standard iodometry titration. Composite nanofibers of polystyrene – N,N-dichloropolystyrene sulfonamide (PS/DPSA) were prepared with electrospinning technique. The appropriate nanofibers obtained under optimized conditions such as applied voltage, distance between the collection plate and nozzle, kind of solvent and concentration of composite solution. The diameter of nanofibers was determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and range of nanofiber was about 160-300nm. The decontamination reaction of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES) a simulant of sulfur mustard (S.M.) by composite nanofibers of PS/ DPSA was monitored by gas chromatography (GC). Also the reaction products of decontamination reaction were identified by gas chromatography – mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). These composite nanofibers are able to decontaminate 2-CEES in 7 minutes.